Different
by TJ Jordan
Summary: After a weird incident in his 5th year at Hogwarts, Severus Snape begins to act differently and acts on his own free-will against the Dark Lord. Meanwhile, Lily struggles with the secrets that Severus keeps from her, questioning herself and their friendship. - Part of my Severus Snape series but I'm not going to give it a number.
1. Welcome Back

**Different**

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**This is something I thought up one day and wanted to write. It's also a way of keeping my writing spirit alive for the time being.**

**It's part of my **_**Severus Snape series **_**but I'm not giving it a number. Just read it as its own thing.**

**Enjoy my newest story, **_**"Different"!**_

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**Chapter One:**

**Welcome Back**

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Something was different and Lily could sense it. She could sense it in her friend who she had grown distant from over the course of nearly a year now. He was angrier, more brooding and further ant-social than he near was before. And it scared her.

Her friends continuously pressured her to cut ties with him, that he was toxic and was on the path of becoming a Death Eater. But she couldn't believe it. Not her friend. Not the young boy she had met all those years ago in the park of their hometown.

But the evidence was piling up against her beliefs.

He was using the foul name against other muggleborns like his housemates did. He's attacks against the Marauders were becoming more violent. And his distance from her proved her fear that he was trying to win favor with his housemates. That his fear of being seen with her was more powerful than their friendship.

And so she decided to talk with him later that night once their NEWTs were done. Before dinner she would confront him and give him an ultimatum. An ultimatum she hoped would be enough to him back.

She sat under the shade of a tree, with her friends next her as they talked and relaxed after a hard day of work on their tests.

But her attention was on the dark-haired boy under the bigger tree that was closer to the lake. She watched him as he read from a book and wrote in another. She caught his smile and she couldn't help but smile too. It looked as if he had discovered something as he wrote almost viciously into his other book. He looked excited, like a boy on Christmas Day.

It reminded her of the young boy she once knew and held onto hope that there was still enough of that boy inside him. That he wasn't completely gone. That she could reach him.

"Earth to Lily!" a voice broke her concentration. "You still with us?"

"Hm? What?" Lily shook her head and turned to Mary McDonald.

Mary raised an eyebrow and looked towards the one known as Severus Snape, sighing and rolling her eyes.

"Lily, we've talked about this. Let him go!"

Marlene nodded, "He's a greasy git and a Death Eater wanna-be. I've heard him use that awful word many times since the beginning of this school year."

"_And_ I still remember him smiling at the attack Mucliber and Avery pulled on me," Mary's voice filled with anger. "He's a lost cause!"

Lily opened her mouth to protest, despite her fears matching up to what they were saying, but was interrupted by the sound of Potter's voice, catching her attention.

"Alright, Snape?"

All three of them turned and saw the Marauders approaching Severus, with Pettigrew and Lupin behind Potter and Black.

"I was watching him, his nose was touching the parchment," said Black. "There'll be greasy marks all over it, they won't be able to read a word."

Mary and Marlene giggled at the charming voices of the two Gryffindors.

Lily frowned at the silence that followed from her friend. It began to dawn on her that his body was frozen, and his eyes were staring off into the distance, right at the two Gryffindors. Yet, not really at them.

"I think's he's gone deaf, Padfoot."

"Come on, Snivellus! Stop playing around!"

When he didn't answer back, both boys had their wands out and pointing directly at him.

Lily rose and began to speed-walk towards the scene, pushing aside the crowd that had begun to form.

Suddenly, Severus's body began to float upside down, showing his undergarments as his robes fell. The crowd laughed, as did the Marauders. Even Lily smiled at the sight, while Lupin turned away in shame.

"Leave him alone!" Lily shouted, managing to push through the crowd and confront Potter, her hands on her hips.

"Lily!" James pushed back his hair earning a blush from the red-haired girl. "You alright?"

"Put him down, Potter!" she demanded.

"I will, only if you go out with me," he responded. "Go on, go out with me. And I promise to never lay a wand on Snivellus again."

Lily scoffed, "I wouldn't go out with you if it was a choice between you or the giant squid. You think you're so funny but you're nothing but an arrogant, bullying toerag, Potter. Leave him alone!"

"Bad luck, Prongs."

"Um, James," Remus Lupin stepped forward, his face full of concern. "You should listen to Lily."

"Why? It's because of the fact that he exists that makes this so much fun."

"No, seriously, James!" Lupin pointed towards Severus's unmoving form. "You need to set him down!"

James Potter and Sirius Black turned their attention to Severus again, their eyes filling with concern at what their friend was talking about. Lily looked as well, and she gasped.

Severus Snape's expression was blank, and his eyes were wide open. He hung from the ground without concern of his wellbeing or any realization of his surroundings.

"Potter, put him down now!"

"Don't make me hex you, Evans! This has nothing to do with you. He's probably faking it."

"Do it now, Potter! Or else I'm getting McGonagall!"

James sighed, "Fine!"

He released Severus from his spell.

Snape's body fell to the ground with an unnerving crack that make everyone's hearts stop beating, especially Lily's.

She ran to the motionless body of her friend and fell to her knees.

"Sev?" she whispered next to him but got no response, making her very worried. "Sev! Please wake up! Sev!"

She turned to Potter, her eyes full of anger, "What the hell did you do to him?!"

Potter struggled to recover from his shock and worry, shaking his head, "I set him down, like you said!"

"You released him from whatever spell you used without knowing if he can land right without hurting himself! He could have broken his neck!"

Lupin ran forward after recovering from his shock as well and knelt beside Severus, checking his breathing and neck.

"No, he didn't break his neck and he's technically still breathing," he then turned his head and put his ear against his chest. "And he still has a heartbeat, though its unusually fast. Something is wrong."

"Did he break any bones?" she asked.

Lupin patted down the Slytherin's body and felt something beneath his back, "No, he landed on a tree branch. The fall didn't break anything else that we know of."

"Somebody go get a stretcher and fetch Professor McGonagall!" Lily cried out.

Only one person out of the whole crowd that gathered around the tree ran for the castle, making haste.

Lily got up and marched up to Potter, point in his face.

"What the hell did you do to him, Potter?!" she demanded. "He was fine before you approached him."

Potter's mouth fell open, "I didn't do anything. He was like that when we approached him."

"Yeah," Black nodded. "We got interested in whatever it was that he was chanting under the tree."

Lily turned to him, "What was he saying?"

Black shrugged, "Beats me. We couldn't hear him from that far away. Probably something dark and twisted, knowing him."

Lily glared at the two of them and declared, "If you've done anything to him, I swear I will make sure your bloodlines end with you, no matter how many witches you shag! Get me?!"

Both boys backed away and quickly nodded.

"Loud and clear!" they said in union.

Lily narrowed her eyes and turned away as a stretcher arrived, along with Professor McGonagall.

"What on Earth happened here?!" she demanded.

Lily relaxed at the presence of the Professor, "Severus landed wrong and has been like this ever since. He's not responsive."

"How did he fall?" McGonagall raised an eyebrow at the Marauders.

Lupin sighed, "Potter used some kind of spell to lift Snape by his ankle in midair. When he dropped him, Snape wasn't prepared to land right, though he doesn't appear to have any injuries."

"No surprises there, but why he has that expression. He appears to be dead."

"But his heart is beating, and he is breathing. He was like this before James lifted him in the air."

McGonagall glared at the two Gryffindors, "Ten points from Gryffindor from each of you for such foul behavior and disregard for your fellow classmate's wellbeing. And detention until the end of the school year. Someone help Mr. Snape up to the infirmary."

Lily watched as two students lifted Severus onto a stretcher and helped carry him up to the hospital, where Madam Pomfrey was waiting. She ranted about the Marauders' continue pranks and Severus's visits, while Lily stood by and watched as the witch nurse did her job.

After nearly thirty minutes, Pomfrey approached Lily and McGonagall.

"Well?" McGonagall asked.

Pomfrey shook her head, "His body is fine, but he appears to be in some catatonic state. His eyes are wide open and his body is still functioning like as if he is still awake. And his heartbeat keeping rising and falling. I've never seen anything like this before."

The doors to the infirmary opened as Headmaster Dumbledore walked in, his robes moving around him with sway as he approached them.

"Ah, Pomfrey," he smiled. "What news of Mister Snape?"

Pomfrey bowed, "Headmaster! He's stable but non-responsive. Something is keeping him in a catatonic state, I just can't determine what though."

"Will he live?"

"He's in no real danger."

"Good, keep me posted on his well-being. I wish to know when he wakes up."

"Yes, Headmaster," Pomfrey nodded.

Dumbledore turned to Lily, "You may go, Miss Evans. I will make sure you are informed when Mister Snape wakes up. Please enjoy this beautiful day out."

Though Lily wished to stay, she nodded, "Than you, Professor."

As she walked out the doors of the infirmary, she caught a glimpse of her friend's unmoving body before the doors closed.

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The next three days were hard for Lily as she waited for any sign of improvement, but nothing changed. She would go to the infirmary every morning and night, her worry and fear rising when she saw that he was still the same. His eyes scared her the most, the way they hung open but held no life in them.

Her friends would pressure her for answers, begging to know about what was happening. Though they seemed more interested in what the Marauders did to him, despite their promise that they had nothing to do with what happened to Severus. But no one believed them, not even Lupin.

Only Lily, Lupin and some of the Professor held skepticism about their involvement, though they all did agree that whatever happened was not meant to produce this.

James and Sirius whined about their detention, believing that their actions were not that bad, nor that they did anything wrong.

But on the fourth day, when Lily went to see Severus in the morning, something finally happened.

She walked through the doors of the hospital and sat down next to Severus's bed, trying to avoid his lifeless eyes.

"Hey, Sev," she smiled, sadly. "I've… um, managed to take notes for you again, though NEWTs are already over." She signed. "I've looked through your book…" She paused. "… I know you'll be angry with me for going through it, but I needed to know what happened to you."

She turned away, tears forming in her eyes.

"I wish you would wake up, Sev. There's something… something I need to talk to you about. Something very important." She took a deep breath. "I can't keep this up any longer. Your friendship with both me and your… housemates.

"I don't understand why you hang out with them, Sev. What do you seen in them? They're evil and twisted. You know what they did to Mary and how I feel about it. How could you laugh at what they did to her?"

She shook her head as tears began to roll down her checks.

"I need you to decide between me and them. I need to know which one you choose, because I can't take this anymore. Either I'm your friend and they aren't. Or I'm just… a _mudblood!_ There, I said it! Like how you say it to everyone else!

"And this!"

She held up the book in her hands, holding his personal diary.

"I've read through it and what I've read scares me, Sev. _Use for enemies? Plans for power? Dark spells? _You know how I feel about this! You know that I don't like the dark arts!"

She placed the book down on the bed next to him.

"If you can hear me, I need you to know that when you wake up, you need to make a choice between me and them. No middle ground or half choices. Just one clear answer. That's all I want from you. And I…

"… I hope you choose me."

As she got up and began to walk away, something grabbed ahold of her hand, making her cry out in fear. Turning around, she saw a hand on her wrist and looked to its source, her heart leaping with joy at the sight of her friend staring back at her, his eyes full of confusion.

"SEV!"

She embraced him with a tight hug that made him moan.

"Lil-"

She continued to hold him against her, breathing in his scent as she convinced herself that it wasn't a dream, that what was happening before her was real.

"Lily?" he sounded confused and dumbfounded. "What- what's going on? How-"

She released him and backed away, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Pomfrey!" she cried out. "He's awake!"

Madam Pomfrey came rushing out of her office as she pushed Lily aside, who barely cared, and began checking Severus over.

"Pomfrey?"

"Come now, Mister Snape. I'm willing to let this slide because of your current state but you should remember your manners."

"What-"

"Now, hold still," the nurse began checking him while Lily turned away, blushing.

After ten minutes of analyzing him, Pomfrey took her leave to fetch the Headmaster, while Lily remained by his side.

Severus stared at her like as if she a lost artifact now returned to him, making her feel uncomfortable.

"Seriously, Sev," she blushed. "It's impolite to stare. And it's only been a few days."

Severus shook his head as he rubbed his eyes, "What- What do you mean? Few… days?"

"Don't you remember?" she asked.

Severus shook his head, "I remember… wait, did we win? Is it over?"

Lily frowned, "What do you mean? Sev, you're not making any sense."

Ignoring her, he threw the covers off of his body and let his feet touch the ground, making a run to the bathroom. Lily followed and stopped at the door, concerned that he may need a moment of privacy. She peeked through the door and saw Severus staring at himself in the mirror, his face full of shock as he touched the glass and then himself. He lifted his shirt and gasped, slowly touching the left side of his ribcage.

Lily could only watch in amusement and concern, unsure what to say or do.

"This-" he was beginning to pant, panic rushing through him. "How am I back? This wasn't supposed to be possible!"

Lily took a step forward, touching his shoulder.

Severus flinched and backed up against the sink, terrified.

Lily felt hurt by his sudden reaction but pushed it aside.

"Is everything alright?" she asked. "You had a pretty nasty fall and you've been in the infirmary for nearly four days now-"

"Four days?!" he gasped; eyes wide. "Lily, what… what day is it?"

She frowned, confused.

"Um, it's Friday-"

"No!" he nearly shouted, making her flinch. "I mean, what- What year is it?"

"Year? Sev, you know what year it is."

"Please… just… tell me..." he pleaded.

Lily stared at him in shock, confusion and pity, chopping it all up to the incident from four days ago. Her mind was already beginning to piece the puzzle together and deduce that he was experiencing memory loss. His sudden outbursts and random mumbling made sense to her in that regard.

"_1976_."

Severus's eyes widened as he stared at her in pure terror. His mouth dropped open as he slid to the ground and turned his attention to the ground, much to her relief. Tears fell from his eyes as he let out a small sob before closing his eyes and gaining control over himself. He formed fists and took a few breaths before he opened his eyes again and slowly rose up to his feet.

Lily watched in awe and fear, unsure of how to help her friend in such an emotional state.

Severus then looked up at his friend and began to smile, the same kind of smile she remembered from their childhood days before Hogwarts. A smile she feared she would never see again.

Walking forward, he enveloped her into a tight hug, surprising her as he breathed in her hair and scent.

"Lily," he whispered. "I've missed you."

That voice. She recognized it as the feel of cool air against her skin. An old feeling, she desperately had wanted to feel once again. And now here Severus Snape stood, hugging her in his arms without confliction or hesitation.

Ignoring her fear and confusion, she hugged him back and smiled.

"Welcome back, Sev!"

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**So, what did you think? Please leave a review of your opinion and thoughts. I really want to hear/read them.**

**See you guys later!**


	2. Not Normal

**Different**

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**Hey guys! Sorry for the wait on the next chapter. Just a heads up, this is going to be short. Ran out of time and I'm tired. Need to go to bed for work tomorrow.**

**I appreciate the support and reviews you've guys been leaving. Please keep making them, they really do help.**

**Just a reminder, this is part of a Severus Snape series I'm doing, so go check those other stories out if you want.**

**Disclaimer: "I do not own Harry Potter!"**

**Enjoy Chapter 2!**

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**Chapter Two:**

**Not Normal**

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It took another day before Severus could be let out of the infirmary, due to the insistence of Pomfrey. Severus didn't appear to be happy about it, no surprise there, but his reaction and _acceptance _of it was… well, not normal. And it was driving Lily crazy.

She couldn't believe how different he was being around her and others. Well, saying _others _was not saying that much, considering that he only saw Pomfrey, Dumbledore Slughorn and McGonagall. But he was a lot more respectful. And it wasn't because he was supposed to be and he just swallowed his pride, it was like he had real respect for them. It was so bizarre.

But his reaction towards her was definitely the biggest surprise.

He was completely fine talking with her and just having normal conversations. She purposely made sure not to mention anyone from his house or the Marauders, not wanting to upset him. She figured they could talk about those two situations later. All that mattered to her was that he was seemingly returning to the original Sev she knew, with a few upgrades.

But her worries about the future made her feel like she was living under the shadow of a dark cloud, just waiting for whatever was going to fall on her.

Her friends had stopped pressuring her about Severus, though they continued to try and convince her to dump him as a friend, throwing the same old reasons for why at her. It was getting annoying and just downright rude by this point. Hell, it probably had reached that point a long time ago.

Though she can't help noticing there were some things about Severus that made absolutely no sense to her. Like the day before when she came to check on him after dinner and found him sound asleep, looking all adorable and innocent. But when she went to move the covers over his shoulders, she heard him mumbling in his sleep and a name was repeated.

"_Hermione."_

It scared her half to death, thinking she had woken him up. And kept repeating that same name.

"_Hermione."_

She was confused as to who that was. As far as she was concerned, there was no Hermione at Hogwarts. Maybe a friend from Spinner's End? No, he didn't like muggles and he wasn't good at making friends. But it sure drove her crazy, wondering just how this _'Hermione' _was.

Another weird coincidence was that Regulus showed up when she was just leaving, which surprised her. He said he was there to check up on his friend. She wasn't aware that the two were officially friends. Then again, the two had been drifting apart, so maybe the two had become pals. A thought that scared her, as he also showed interest in joining the Death Eaters.

The moment Severus had left the infirmary, she took her chance to speak with him before breakfast.

"Severus," she called out to him as he walked to the Great Hall.

"Lily!" he smiled, making her stop before she could reach him.

Since when did he smile like that? He never smiled that like. If anything, it went against the Code of Severus Snape. It wasn't normal behavior for him.

"Um, everything alright?" he asked.

Shaking her head, she approached him, awkwardly staring at the ground, "Look, Severus. I don't mean to bring this up and make you angry… but…"

He patiently waited for what she was about to say, another thing that surprised her.

She sighed, "Look, I don't like that you hang out with Mulciber and Avery. Especially Black."

His eyes widened a bit, realization hitting.

"Oh, right, yeah. I have been hanging out with them, haven't I?"

He sounded like he was just remembering this. It almost sounded like he was mocking her or trying to avoid the subject. Or both.

She became angry, "Okay, what is wrong with you?!"

"Um, excuse me?" he frowned.

"Don't play games with me, Sev! You know I don't like you spending time with them. You and I know that they can't wait to join 'You-Know-Who'. What do you see in them?"

His eyes narrowed at her, "Lily, I swear I'm not playing games with you. And yes, you're right. They do want to join Voldemort."

"Don't lie to- Wait, did you just say his name?"

"Yeah," he shrugged. "It's just a name."

She raised an eyebrow and put her hand against his forehead, "Well, you don't seem to have a fever or any type of illness. And you look more healthy than before. What's going on, Severus?"

"Nothing!" he exclaimed.

"Then why aren't you acting like yourself?"

"I am acting like myself. It's just a different me."

Lily studied him for a bit before sighing, "Look, Sev, I don't want to do this but with everything that has been happening and since you're now better, I need to do this."

He looked at her with curiosity and wonder, "Alright."

'_Since when has he been so calm and patient like this?'_

"This is my ultimatum!" she declared. "It's either me or them! No grey areas or trying to find a way to satisfy both sides, you need to choose." She paused, taking a deep breath. "I'll be expecting an answer by dinner tonight. You know where to find me."

She turned to walk away, only to be stopped by his own declaration.

"I can give you an answer right now if you'd like."

She stopped and turned to face him.

"_I choose you!" _he announced, loudly.

Her heart leaped with joy, but it quickly sank at the memories of how he had been acting the past year.

"Do you truly mean it?" she asked, hoping burning deep within.

Severus nodded, "_Always!_"

Before she could reply, he turned and walked away, leaving her to think about what he had just told her.

The rest of the day, she hadn't seen him except in class, but he appeared to be unable to sit right next to her, due to her friends and the Marauders, but he didn't take it personally. In fact, he seemed to take everything in strides, especially the pranks the Marauders would try to pull on him. But he seemed to be able to avoid them, even turn the tables by making their plans backfire. He had already gotten Sirius in trouble with the loss of points.

Paranoid and curious about what was going on with her friend, she had decided to follow him during her free hour, making sure he wouldn't notice her presence, though a part of her feared that may know.

She followed him into the library, where she found him meeting Regulus. She grew furious, thinking he had lied and used her. But then she got within reach to hear them.

"I heard you had a nasty fall," said Regulus.

"Been through worse," Severus replied, appearing to take a book and begin reading, though she could tell that his eyes were not focusing on the book. "I heard that Bellatrix made you have a rather… _nasty fall_."

Regulus looked up at him, a look in his eyes that she could not make out.

"So, it happened to you too," he said, confusing her even more.

"It seems so."

"Just to be safe, how do I know that you're really the Severus Snape I know? Tell me something personal."

Severus remained silent, appearing to be thinking hard about his challenge, "I caught you shagging Lavender in the back of the Three-"

"Okay, it's you!" Regulus quickly cut him off, his face turning red. "Now that we've gotten that out of the way, mind telling me just what the hell is going on? How are we back in 1976?"

"I have a few theories."

"Mind sharing them with the class?"

"Hey!" a voice interrupted them, forcing Lily to retreat from her hiding spot. She saw Mulciber and Avery approaching them, instantly adding gasoline her anger. But before she could do anything reckless, both Regulus and Severus immediately went their separate ways.

"Well, I'll see ya later, Sev! Gotta go!"

"Yeah, see ya! Oh, here guys! Sorry I can't stay and chat, gotta go do some things before class."

The two were left stunned by their departure, unable to say anything as they walked away.

Lily was left shocked too, never remembering a time when Severus would do such a thing to them. She was further left more confused and surprised when he locked eyes with her and winked, leaving her alone as he kept walking.

Hearing the bell ring, she cleared her mind and focused on getting to her next class, deciding to confront her friend later about what she had heard. Though deep down, she was leaping with joy at the fact that there was a strong possibility that her friend meant what he said and that this was one of many acts her friend would make against Slytherins like Mulciber and Avery.

But her thoughts went to Regulus and the conversation the two had, confused about… whatever it was they were talking about. She wasn't surprised by the knowledge that Regulus slept with someone, as he was the brother to Sirius Black. But why would saying that prove to him that Severus was… Severus?

Shaking her head, she took her seat next to her friends, casting a glance at the dark-haired boy.

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**Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! I'll try to make the next one longer. I don't plan on this one to be long, it's just fun I want to do without it being super big in terms of story. But I expect it may grow bigger than what I intend.**

**Please leave a review and I'll see you guys in Chapter 3!**


	3. Different Time, Similar Plan

**Different**

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**Finally got around to writing this chapter. **

**Thank you guys so much for the support and reviews! Please leaving me your thoughts and opinions!**

**Hope you all enjoy Chapter 3!**

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**Chapter Three:**

**Different Time, Similar Plan**

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A few days passed since Lily overheard the conversation between Regulus and Severus, including the confrontation she had with Sev after class. But she got very little from him about it.

_"It was just Reg being paranoid," he told her with a straight face._

_"And since when did the two of you become friends?!" she demanded._

_"A while ago," he replied, once again making it harder for her to know if he was lying. Nothing about his physical reactions told her he was, but there was something off. "Lil, we're one year apart. Of course, we talk and hang out. We just... grew closure."_

_She was speechless, unable to press the matter forward. Even his explanation that Reg no longer held the beliefs of their Housemates seemed to make some sense, though she was trying to process that. She had confronted Sirius first before Sev and found that even the Marauder was surprised by the younger brother's attempts to rekindle their relationship, even denouncing the Dark Lord a little too loudly. Though no one was there to hear those words except for the two of them._

_Speaking of words and changing behavior, these were the things she had been hoping to see from him, more so than Sirius did of his brother. But doubts still lingered within._

_Then she remembered._

_The other matter she wished to speak with him about. It had completely slipped her mind until now._

_"Sev, there's something else..."_

_"Oh? You seem to be in the mood of interrogating me today."_

_"Shut up!" she shouted, making him smile._

_The act made her nervous and confused, 'Since when did he act this way so openly? We're in the middle of the hallyway!'_

_"The other night... I came to visit you and... I heard you mumble in your sleep..."_

_"Okay," he waited for her to continue._

_She swallowed, holding her class books tightly against her chest, "I... overheard you say a name. Someone called... 'Hermione'?"_

_His eyes widened, he was completely dumbstruck, though it only lasted a quick second before he regained control._

_"Care to repeat that?" he asked._

_She could tell he was keeping his facial reactions neutral, whatever he was feeling she knew he was trying to keep it hidden from her. Or maybe she was imagining the look. She honestly didn't know._

_"I heard you say that name, Sev! I heard you say 'Hermione'!" she pressed. _

_"Lil, I don't know anyone by that name who currently goes to this school," he explained._

_"You don't just mumble someone else's name like that, especially in your sleep."_

_"The only Hermione I knew was someone from my past. You don't know her... and..."_

_She saw it. The look on his face that quickly formed, the look of sadness. She could tell he was uncomfortable talking about it and was trying to look for a way out. Instantly, she began to regret bringing it up, but she had to know._

_"Sev," she touched his arm as he stared at her, but not truly 'at' her._

_He jerked up and grabbed her hand, snapping him out of his state. He blinked and shook his head, releasing her hand as she began to rub it._

_"I'm... sorry..." he looked away._

_Her heart stopped._

_'Did... did he just...'_

_"Sev, what's wrong?" she approached him, touching his shoulder._

_He flinched._

_"Please, tell me!"_

_He didn't answer, only slowly turning to look at her, his face neutral once again._

_"Sorry, I'm still a little... sensitive."_

_That didn't surprise her. He wasn't the type to allow hugs or slaps on the shoulders like others were. But still... apologizing? He never did that._

_"Sev, who is Hermione? Why have I never heard of her before?"_

_He stared at her, intimidatingly. She felt like a small child once again under that stare._

_"You don't know her because... I've never spoken of her. She..."_

_He stopped, a look of pain covering his face again._

_"It doesn't matter. Not now."_

_He turned and walked away._

_"Excuse me," he whispered. "I need to go."_

_She wanted to chase after him but the look she saw made her freeze. She hadn't seen that kind of pain from him in so long. Not since they were third-year students. Instead, she decided to let him go, afraid to press him more._

Now she was watching him from afar, from her sit at the Griffindor table. Her friends took notice and rolled their eyes, telling her to stop worrying about him. Even once again trying to press her to let him go as a friend. The very idea made her flinch, especially after what happened three days ago.

She kept her eye on him since then, trying to see what was going. Both him and Reg kept disappearing together. Where? She didn't know. And it worried her. What were they talking about? Did they plan to join the Death Eaters and were meeting in secret to discuss those plans together?

No, that made no sense. They have an entire House to do that in, where no one would rat on them. And she knew they weren't disappearing back to their dorm rooms, especially after Avery and Mulciber tried to corner Severus that one time.

_"Okay, what is up with you and Regulus?"_

_The two surrounded Severus, though he didn't appear to be intimidated._

_"What do you mean?" Sev asked._

_"You two of you have been avoiding us for two days!" exclaimed Mulciber._

_"Yeah, and been sneaking off with Regulus. Hell, he disappears the night before your incident at the day and only reappeared a day before you awoke from your injury. What kind of hideout do the two of you have anyway?"_

_"Hideout? We just study together in any room we find. Hardly a hideout," he appeared to be clueless, though the way he spoke sounded so... adult._

_"Okay," the two seemed to accept his explanation, though the fact that studying for OWLs ended already seemed to slip their minds. "But where did Regulus disappear to during your stay at the infirmary?"_

_Lily frowned, surprised._

_"Oh, that. Regulus was hiding."_

_"From who?" the two demanded._

_"His brother, of course!"_

_They stared at him with suspicion, "Why?"_

_He shrugged, "Honestly, I'd bet what happened to me made them want to do it to him too."_

_"I... guess that makes sense. Knowing Potter and Black, they probably wanted to see what new tricks they could test on you."_

_"Wait, if they know how to do this, then why haven't they tried again?" Avery asked._

_Severus smiled, "I destroyed the pages."_

_"You what?!"_

_"Seriously?! How?!"_

_"I found the book it was written in and destroyed it for good."_

_Lily frowned. She knew he was lying. Potter and Sirius weren't smart enough to do something like that, nor have the patience to come up with a spell that would put someone in a coma for days. Something wasn't right._

_"Can't they recreate the spell?" Mulciber asked._

_Severus raised an eyebrow, "You honestly think they're smart enough to remember how to do it again?"_

_"Then why is Regulus still hiding?" Avery demanded._

_Severus sighed, "He's... going through a tough time. He'll only open up to me."_

_"Since when did the two of you become such close friends?" Avery frowned._

_Severus' face fell, "It's... complicated."_

_The two Slytherins sighed._

_"Okay, fine!" Mulciber exclaimed. _

_"Just make sure to get him back to normal," Avery warned. "And stop avoiding us!"_

_Lily kept herself hidden as they walked away, waiting until it was safe to follow Severus again, but she lost him on the seventh floor of Gryffindor Tower._

The conversation she had overheard confused her, especially considering how Severus went to Gryffindor Tower. He hated being anywhere near there, so why was he going to the seventh floor? There was nothing there except her and as far as she was concerned, he wasn't looking for her.

She watched him eat his meal during dinner, making sure not to let him out of her sight.

He finally left the Slytherin table, grabbing a small bag as he began walking out of the Great Hall. She took her chance and rushed after him, ignoring the calls of her friends and the strange look Potter was giving her.

She followed him down to the girls' bathroom on the second floor, frowning over why he would go into there of all places. She carefully followed him in and kept to the shadows, not wanting to be seen.

"Really, Sev? This was the place you wanted to meet?"

She recognized Regulus' voice.

"Figured it was as good of a place to meet like any other," Severus replied, placing the bag he had on the ground.

"And the Room of Requirement wasn't good enough?"

_'Room of Requirement?'_

Severus sighed as he sat down opposite of Regulus.

"Avery and Mulciber are getting angsty."

Regulus chuckled, "No surprise there."

The two remained quiet for a little while, making Lily roll her eyes. Why boys were like this was beyond her.

"Sev," Regulus swallowed. "Do you... miss her?"

Lily's hear popped up, leaning closer.

Severus leaned his head against the cold wall, staring into space, "Not a second goes by when I don't."

Regulus nodded, "I miss her too. Everyone, in fact. Lavender_, _Harry, Draco, Ginny, Viktor, Neville, Fred, George. Even Dumbledore, no matter how much of a biased bastard he was."

Severus laughed.

Hearing him actually express emotion besides anger and brooding was so bizarre to her. She never thought it was possible.

"I have to admit, those three years were... amazing."

"But also the darkest," Severus added. "Which is why... we need to stop it."

Regulus raised an eyebrow at him, "What?"

Severus locked eyes with him, "Reg... there's no going back."

"Come on, man. You know we can do this. We just need to find another way.."

"There isn't!" Severus reached inside his bag and took out something that Lily couldn't see. "We tried! Three times! Two of which took us to different periods. The third one, just close enough and even then it wasn't the same."

"It just can't be gone," Regulus put his head between his hands, struggling to hold himself together. "I hate it here! I can't stand being in the same house as those... murderers! I want it all back!"

Lily's eyes grew wide, she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"I know but its time to face the facts!" Severus slammed whatever it was that he was holding onto the concrete ground. Lily was able to tell that it was some kind of book. "What happened to us resulted in a timeline that wasn't supposed to happen."

"We proved that the future can be changed!"

"It's more complicated than that, you know it is!"

The two didn't talk for a few seconds, taking the moment to get themselves under control.

"The spell may allow us to go into the future, but upon de..." he paused, "...the moment our tether was gone, we were forced back to where we left off. And anything we did was washed away. The consequences of a ripple effect."

"You don't know that!"

"It's the only explanation that explains everything! I don't want to believe it! I really don't! But there's no denying it, not after those three attempts."

Regulus shook his head, sniffling.

"We were winning! Victory was right there and-"

"I know," Severus said with a soft voice. "I remember that day well. Too well."

"But we can stop it!" desperation was in Reg's voice. "We can go back there and stop it from happening."

"Reg!" Severus was full of frustration. "It's all been reset. There's no going back."

"Prove it to me!"

"Okay, fine," there was a tone to his voice that scared Lily, making her move as silently away as she could. "Say if you're right, say that we can go back. How would that work?"

"We'll be back in our bodies, just like the way it was."

"No, we would be in a reset timeline where we would need to rebuild everything we had from before. Every action, every relationship, every single little detail will need to be redone in order to get those things back. There's no jumping back and preventing what happened, that would mean there would be two of you and that doesn't work."

"So, what are you saying?!" Regulus demanded. "That we just give up?!"

"No, that we accept the truth and prevent what we know is coming."

Regulus frowned, "What do you mean? You just said that everything was _'washed away_'."

"Everything that involved us. But the events that we saw... those are still going to happen. Harry, Hermione, Lavender, and everyone else will have to face those dark times without us. At least, current age us."

"Then let's jump forward and stop it!"

Severus rolled his eyes and shook his head, "You're not listening. No matter what we do, it'll be reset the moment we die. We'll just end up back here and everything we had done would have been for nothing."

Realization struck Regulus as his head jerked up, looking at his friend with new hope, "You mean... instead of going forward-"

Severus nodded.

"But... what about..."

"Reg! Do you think I would be telling you this if I hadn't accepted it? That I hadn't accepted that she is gone and that there is no way to get that life back? I'm telling you this because we can't waste our time holding onto the past."

Silence followed.

Lily felt so confused and uneasy, she felt unwelcome in every way possible. She wanted to know what the hell was going on and what they were talking about. And she wanted to run away.

"So, they're really gone, aren't they?" Reg's voice broke, piercing Lily's heart.

Severus nodded.

"So... what do we do now?"

"Well, we can always fight back against those murderous bastards."

Reg scoffed, "And not expect them or him to kill us? You know that's a death wish."

"Not if we kill him first."

Reg looked up and a smile formed, "But we would need knowledge of how to do that."

Severus grabbed the book from the ground, shaking it.

"And we would need to be experienced DE hunters."

"Physically, we would need to prepare, but-"

"Mentally, that's a different story."

There was a new atmosphere to the room, something energic.

"We would need to be motivated and dedicated enough. Pissed off enough."

Severus raised an eyebrow, "Well, are you pissed off?"

Regulus' smile grew, "What do you think?!"

Severus reached into the bag and grabbed something.

"Where did you find that?!" exclaimed Reg.

Severus shrugged, "What did you think I was doing most of the time in the Room of Requirement?"

"So, you know where to find them? All of them?"

Severus nodded, "But we will need something to destroy them. Which is the very reason why I brought us here."

Regulus' eyes widened, "Oh no! Don't tell me!"

The two looked towards the sinks.

"We're not seriously thinking of going down there, right?!"

Severus reach inside the bag and took out two things, tossing on to Reg.

Catching it, he looked them over, "What are these?"

"Put them on. I designed them so that we don't get petrified."

Reg frowned at them before putting them on, "You sure they'll work?"

"I didn't get the chance to test them out last night."

"Great! Where is Hermione when you need her?"

"Come on!"

Lily listened as they got up and walked over to the sinks, looking around the corner of her hiding spot to see them doing something to the sinks. Her eyes widened as they began to part, revealing a hidden entranceway. She watched as each boy disappeared down the hole, waiting until it was safe to walk on over. She looked down and saw darkness, hearing their voices down below.

She knew she should report this to a teacher or the headmaster, but she was curious and wished to get to the bottom of... whatever it was that was going on with Severus. And Regulus too, she figured. But mainly, Severus!

After much debate, she decided to follow, closing her eyes and jumping down the dark hole, nearly screaming as she slid fast through the tunnel until she hit the bottom, landing on the hard ground. Her tail bone and back hurt but was otherwise fine.

Opening her eyes, she found herself in a cave of some sort and saw a pathway, hearing the boys' voices in distance.

She got up and followed, wondering what she'll find further down this rabbit hole.

* * *

**For the moment between Severus and Regulus when they start _'war-gaming'_ out their plan, I took inspiration from the ending scene of _'John Wick 3: Parabellum' _(Highly recommend that movie! All three films in fact! Go buy or rent them if you can!). I think you can easily find out which moment I am talking about.**

**We do indeed learn some more information going on with Severus and Regulus. And before you ask, this story is only from the perspective of Lily, so no flashbacks or POV with Severus or Regulus. I believe that the stories that leave things up to the imagination are the best kinds of stories. It helps get people hooked on what is going on.**

**Reviewer QNA Time:**

**To _'Hermione Snape': "Will there be a romance between Hermione and Severus in this new timeline? Well, I'm not SPOILING anything here, but the story will 'imply' certain things. Hope you are enjoying the story! And please check out my other stories."_**

**To _'Kawisdom': "Thank you for the amazing reviews and support on all of my stories. And to answer your question, a romance with Hermione will not be something to be concerned about, though please bare with me in how it may or may not affect the story. Once again, thank you so much for the amazing reviews."_**

**Anyway, that's all I have for you. I'll see you all in Chapter 4!**


	4. Author Note - Sorry, not a chapter

**Sorry! This is not a chapter! However, with that said, please read this.**

**Alright, so I just wrote a brand-new story called _'The Night Before'_ and I originally meant for you guys to find out which story it is connected to. However, I feel that I should tell you that it is a prequel to this story. I wasn't going to write anything involving Sev's time in the future, as I wanted to leave it up to your imaginations. But since it is a prequel to this and does leave enough to the imagination, I wanted to let you know.**

**I will take this down once I write and update the next chapter. This is just to tell you guys about the new one-shot story and its connection to this one.**

**Hope you guys enjoy!**


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